March 29, 2024

The Shins return with new bandmates

June 14, 2009
The Shins Return With
New Bandmates
Kristi Kates 6/15/09

It’s been eighteen months or so since fans have seen The Shins, but now the band is back in full force with a change-up in band members, a new record label home, some film work, and yes, even a few new tunes. Lead singer/guitarist James Mercer remains bandleader, of course, but longtime Shins bassist Marty Crandall and drummer Jesse Sandoval have been replaced by Fruit Bats’ bassist Ron Lewis and Modest Mouse drummer John Plummer; both new bandmates will participate in recording The Shins’ next album. Album prep is yet to get underway, but fans can keep an eye out for Mercer, who’s been doing some acting in indie films as well as scoring a surfing/climbing movie with Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock. The Shins just wrapped a short slate of tour dates, and plan to hit the studio this summer...
Arctic Monkeys have just released their first live recording in both CD and DVD form - Arctic Monkeys Live at the Apollo showcases the final performance of the band’s 2007 world tour at the Manchester Apollo Theater, and was put together by Warp Films. Purchasing the set as an American release will get U.S. fans a bonus disc, as well - an exclusive collection of live music recorded in Austin, Texas, that will be available as a U.S. purchase only, and that will include tunes “Riot Van,” and “Dancing Shoes”...
They Might Be Giants have just announced a series of spring/summer shows that will include shows in Kansas City, MO; New York City, Portland, ME; and New Haven, CT; as well as the pair’s hometown of Brooklyn; two shows will generally be played in each city, at which one will be a general show, and the other will be a performance of the band’s landmark 1990 album Flood in its entirety. The Brooklyn show will be a free event as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn summer festival. As if all of that wasn’t enough to keep the band busy, they’re also in the middle of planning out the recording of two new CDs...
And the new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Manhattan Annex exhibit, John Lennon: The New York City Years is now open to the general public, as curated by Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, and the Hall’s own Jim Henke. The exhibit features handwritten lyrics to Lennon songs like “Working Class Hero,” Lennon’s drawings, collages, and self-portraits, his iconic “New York City” t-shirt, and his Fender Telecaster, as well as more thought-provoking items from his fight against deportation and his end times. Ono additionally continues carrying out one of her and Lennon’s most dedicated causes with a white phone that is affixed to the wall in the exhibit, with a card next to it that simply reads “A Phone for Peace” and the instructions “when the phone rings, pick it up” - Ono herself will be periodically calling the phone at random to deliver a message of peace to whomever answers, she says...

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
If you’re a modern rock fan, chances are you’ve considered attending the Reading-Leeds music fests in the UK at some point. But be warned - there is a growing plethora of fake Reading-Leeds websites that, while they may look sleek and professional, are simply out to take your money and leave you without any tix to the rilly big show. If you want the real deal, stop by www.readingfestival.com, where you can snag those tickets to see the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, Vampire Weekend, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, and many more, August 28 through the 30...

MINI BUZZ:
New York modern rockers stellastarr* with return with their third album, Civilized, on July 7; the ten-song disc is the band’s first in almost four years...
Maximo Park will kick off the 2009 Glastonbury Festival by appearing on the new William’s Green Area stage on Thursday, June 24; the stage area itself only holds 1,500 people, but the show will be broadcast on screens across the Glastonbury site...
UK buzz band The Maccabees will follow up the recent release of their second album, Wall of Arms, with a slate of UK shows in September and October...
R.E.M. is reissuing their 1984 sophomore set, Reckoning with a two-CD deluxe edition that’ll hit stores on June 23, just in time for the album’s 25th anniversary...
The new RockNess Festival, which takes place - where else? - near Scotland’s Loch Ness - has been confirmed for June 12 through the 14th, with sets from Orbital, Super Furry Animals, and Dizzee Rascal...
According to AF frontman Win Butler, The Arcade Fire, currently promoting their documentary film Mirior Noir, are reportedly just about ready to begin recording their third album...
And releasing their latest efforts this week are these new discs...ON CD: Incubus’ Moments and Melodies... The Jonas Brothers’ latest (title TBA)... Twista’s Category F5... and Spinal Tap’s Back from the Dead... ON DVD: Paul Carrack - I Know That Name: In Concert... and Gorillaz’ Bananaz... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your favorite musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com


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